Cooking utensil.



. CONNER COOKING UTENSIL.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG.26, 1907.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

IIIIII'IIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'IIllI!IIII!!IIIIlIIIIIIII'IIIII'I'IIIII'IIIII"III'II'III'IIIIIIIII SwuentozfhnczE,C0/7ner 74.1%

Wiknuaeo 9 4;

" s w m M r as it s tnhlr ANNA E. OONNER, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

COOKING UTENSIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Application filed August 26, 1907. Serial No. 390,140.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANNA E. CONNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee,have invented new and useful Improvements in Cooking Utensils, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cooking utensil for general purposes and isnot only useful in cooking different kinds of cereals and vegetables,but is also specially adapted for putting up canned fruit, vegetablesand other materials where it is required to heat the jars or cans toreceive the heated material to be put up to avoid breaking the jars orcans.

The improved cooking utensil comprises a boiler or main containingreceptacle in which a rack is removably suspended and detachablj carriesa plurality of baskets, the rack and baskets being made of wire andhaving a supplemental cover disposed thereover and provided withopenings through which tops of the receptacles held in the baskets mayproject, the whole utensil being inclosed by a main cover applied to theboiler.

The invention also consists in the details of construction andarrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectionof a utensil embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section of the same taken in the plane near the top edge ofthe main boiler or receptacle. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of thesuspending rack. Fig. 4: is a detail view of one of the baskets. Fig. 5is a detail view of a removing device or hook for engaging the differentparts of the utensil and the jars or cooking receptacles disposedtherein to facilitate withdrawal of the same without burning the hands.

Similar numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

The numeral 1 designates a boiler or main receptacle which may be of anydimensions and preferably constructed of metal and provid ed with aremovable cover 2 having a cen tral grip or handle 3 and a-dependingedge flange 1. A rack 5 forms a part of the improved utensil andcomprises a series of intersecting wires which are firmly connected toeach other, and at the ends and sides of this rack suspending hooks 6are movably attached and their upper hook ends 7 are adapted to beconnected over the upper edge of the boiler or receptacle 1, as clearlyshown by Fig. 1. From this rack 5 a series of baskets S are removablysuspended by hooks 9 connecting the top portions of the said baskets,the latter being of any suitable length or depending into the boiler asfar as may be desired.

The baskets 8 are composed of a series of wires arranged in vertical andhorizontal planes, as clearly shown by Fig. 4 to provide an uppersupporting means of open-work so as to permit the jar or cooking vesselheld by each basket to be fully exposed to the hot water within theboiler or receptacle 1. Over the rack 5 and the baskets 8 suspendedtherefrom a supplemental cover or partition plate 10 is mounted and hascorner and side notches or recesses 11 to permit the suspending hooks orhangers 6 to pass therethrough. This supplemental cover or partitionplate 10 acts to maintain the steam in the body of the boiler and has aplurality of openings 12 therein corresponding to the number of basketsused and through which the top portions of the vessels or jars disposedin the baskets may project and be thus rendered accessible. This latterconstruction is particularly convenient in cooking different kinds offood and which may need attention from time to time and may be readilyreached in view of the openings 12 without exposing the rack.Furthermore, this supplemental cover or partition plate 10 prevents theuser from becoming burned or scalded by steam as comparatively littlesteam will escape around the vessels projected through the openings 12.This supplemental cover or partition plate is also provided with acentral handle 13 for convenience in removing and applying the same.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings it will beobserved that the rack 5 is preferably suspended at siX points withinthe boiler 1, that is, at each corner and side, which insures of thesame being always held in a vertical position. And it will also beobserved that the suspending hooks 6 incline inwardly so that when thesupplemental cover 10 has its notches or recesses in engagement with thesame, the forcing downward of said supplemental cover causes the same tohave a tight, wedging fit on said hooks, tending to insure said coverbeing retained in the desired position over the rack 5.

In preparing the improved utensil for use, a suitable amount of water isplaced in the and boiler or receptacle 1 and the rack 5 having thebaskets 8 suspended therefrom is then mounted in place with thesuspending hooks 0r hangers 6 engaging the upper edge of the boiler orrece tacle as shown by Fig. 1. The supplemental cover or partition plate10 is then placed over the rack, and it will be ob: served that itoccupies a position slightly above the top of the rack. The jars to befilled with material to be canned are put up, or cooking vessels arethen inserted through the openings 12 into the baskets, and in canningor preserving operations the heated ma terial to be deposited in thejars is poured therein through the tops above the supplemental cover orartition plate 10. When the utensil is used for cooking purposes, thearticles of food to be cooked are placed in the vessels held in thebaskets through the upper open ends of said vessels exposed above orthrough the said openings 12' and during these cooking operations themain cover 2 will be applied as shown by Fig. 2.

The improved utensil will be found exceptionally useful and convenient,can be readily cleaned and when not in use the baskets and racks can beseparated and be stored in a comparatively small place. It is preferredto use metal in the construction of the several parts and also eitherglass or metal cooking vessels may be used in the baskets. It will befound exceptionally beneficial to use glass ars or vessels of porcelainor other analogous types for cooking cereals and other materials, butthe improved device isnot limited to the use of any particular form ofutensil that may be disposed. in either one of the baskets. The basketsmay be increased or decreased in accordance with the general proportionsof the utensil, and furthermore the dimensions of the device as anentirety may be modified at will. It will be seen in view of the factthat the baskets holding the jars, cans or vessels placed therein aresuspended above the bottom of the boiler or receptacle 1 that burning ofthe contents of the jars orvessels will be prevented and a gradualcooking operation Will ensue.

As shown by Fig. 5 a hook is furnished with the utensil to engage thedifferent parts of the latter and also the jars or other cookingutensils to facilitate removal of the same Without liability of burningthe hands. This hook or removing device Will be stored within theutensil when not in use or can be readily hung up and occupy a smallspace.

What I claim is:

1. In a utensil of the class specified, the combination of a main boilerhaving a re-v movable cover, a rack mounted the boiler and havingsuspending hooks which engage with the upper edge of the boiler atopposite extremities and sides of the latter, said hooks being arrangedat an incline, baskets suspended from said rack, and a partitioninterposed between the cover andthe rack and having a plurality ofopenings therein over said baskets, said partition being also providedwith edge recesses which engage with the said inclined hooks to causethe said partition to have a tight, wedging fit ithin the boiler,

2. In a utensil of the class specified, the combination of a main boileror receptacle having a removable cover, a rack provided with suspendingmeans at the ends and sides to engage over the upper edge of thecorresponding portion of the boiler, baskets re,- movably held by therack and depending into the boiler, and a supplemental cover removablysuspended over the rack and above the latter and having openings there?through over the baskets, the suspending means for the rack extendingthrough the supplemental cover and serving to support the latter abovethe rack.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANNA E. CONNER.

Witnesses:

SULA DOYLE, T. J. KING.

